16 holdouts....

You know who you are. . . Yes, out of the
18 participants in Cheryl Prater's workshop
here last Saturday only 2 of you have sent
photos or brought in your completed projects
and those are Betsy and Marilyn. Betsy

chose to mount her three pieces on a cherrywood
plank, forming one work of art. Betsy chose 3
complimentary colors using Lumiere Paints and
a layering technique that she learned in class.
Marilyn wanted a more subdued look using the
Instant Iron and Instant Rust finishers.These work
on wood, plastic, metal, fabric & more.
Very cool.Thank youboth very much for sharing
your work with us on the World Wide Blog " Random Art Notes."

Working small with Cheryl Prater

I am quite sure that those attending Cheryl's
workshop here this past Saturday said this on
their way home... " It doesn't get better than that".
It was all smiles, all happy artists as we went
through the day enjoying Cheryl's sense of humor,
artistic direction and inspiration. Most everyone
had completed 3. 6 x 6 canvases as their "shrine"
to the micro mini collages that they had created
in class.






Lynn "crashed" the party by driving all the way from Charlotte, without registering, hoping to get in. She fell for Cheryl's Sixtyopoly Piece that was on the cover of Cloth Paper Scissors. She was determined to get into this class and by the looks of her in the that photo... SHE IS HAPPY.

Working small on the little chipboard pieces
was a challenge to some of us but Cheryl kept
us on track by continuing to show techniques
that she uses on her daily work.


In order for the class to complete their work
by the end of the day,
Cheryl gently kept them on task by "cracking her whip"
and screaming
"you better get it done".
All kidding aside, Cheryl has a way of encouraging
with kindness and a motivating sense of humor that
everyone appreciated.
Thank you Cheryl, and we all hope you come back
to teach in Saluda real soon.
First, get your book done!

Spreading Rust. . .

Local artist, Karen Dickson has dabbled
in every form of art from oils to acrylic,
to fabric to faux painting and now
she has tackled RUST. Karen's latest project is
this chest of drawers that she faux painted by
using the Liquid Iron product & instant rust.
By applying a coat of each one she achieved this
time worn look of aged metal & distressed wood.
Karen will be hosting an open studio at her home
on Sat. Sept 28th at 15 Thompson Road in Saluda.
Stop by from 6 pm till 9 pm to see her amazing
work that includes drawings, paintings, furniture
& clothing. There will be live classical violin &
guitar music to add to the ambiance of the evening.

Altered? Why not?

Cut, shorten, add, subtract and stylize is what Suzi Hunt of Charlotte, NC had in mind when she took it upon herself to alter the new Random Arts T-Shirt. First Suzi looked at the length of the t-shirt and decided that it was way too long, so off went the bottom. Then she added beaded trim around the neck and coordinating trim on the sleeves. Looking closer shows embroidery stitching around "Random Arts " along with a decorative button. How awesome Suzi, and thanks for showing it off for us at the Golden Artist Colors workshop this past Saturday.
Patti Brady was also in her usual creative form as she
worked her way through the day demonstrating
Golden acrylics for surface design and textures.
Wow, what a day it was and all 24 people were on the edge
of their seats soaking it all up. From Tar Gel skins to Fiber Paste to Crackle Transfer, Patti showed it all and to top it off everyone got a great bag filled with product to use and take home. Thank you Patti.

Dolly's ready!

She's ready to create now that she has her new Random Arts apron on & all her brushes & paints in her pocket. Yes, the aprons have arrived & they are very, very cool. It didn't take us long to create our new display using a Katie Kendrick inspired face that I drew back in June when she was here teaching. The most logical thing was to turn Dolly into our mannequin to display our apron.
Not only are we ready for Patti Brady's class this Saturday, we will be more than ready when Cheryl Prater ( The Cloth, Paper, Scissors Cover Girl) arrives to teach on the 22nd. It's amusement in full force with Cheryl but I "think" that she told me she will do a little "instructing," too. Seems to me that she mentioned that she might be teaching a similar project that was seen in CPS in May June '08. Wow, she gets around, doesn't she? And the best part is that we still have a few spaces left and it's first come, first serve, as usual. If Cheryl can teach over 100 people at Make it University at the Quilt show in Chicago, she can teach 24 here in Saluda. Don't dilly-dally... time's a wastin'. Oh yes, Cheryl will be treated to the big BarbQ in the park on Saturday night here in Saluda. Shhhhhhh.....I was going to surprise her with this. Don't tell.

Tagged? Alrighty then.....

Here goes... First of all I want to thank my blogging buddy in Raleigh, Chrysti
Quirks? not me. All you have to do is ask me what my quirks are but don't ask the person that lives with me. I won't even do that. It took me several days to think of just ONE quirk and then I started thinking of more and more and more....
#1. I don't close the tops on bottles, tubes, jars or anything that screws on.... It doesn't really bother me that the caps are not closed but it probably irritates the heck out of everyone else who follows behind me spilling it's contents onto themselves & everywhere else.
#2. The brown paper on the back table in the classroom has to be really really clean before I can start a project and no one better get it all marked up ..... except me. After all, I'm the boss.
#3. I do not like listening to music
#4. This goes along with #3 - no radio allowed in the car
#5. Other than those I am just about perfect, which could be one more quirk.
So Chrysti, that's as good as it gets for now. and if I think of anymore that I care to share with the world, you will be the first to know.

Believe in Yourself faces & facts

Destination: Blowing Rock, NC
Why? Believe in Yourself Creativity Retreat
When? Last Weekend
What? See for yourself

Birds, Arts, Collage, Journaling & more...
Kristi Steiner teaches surface design on paper bags, Caroline Hatchell from the Bead Cafe in Columbia, SC shares wire nesting techniques.
In our "spare time" we created with rusting techniques, dyeing fabrics, sewing and collaging with torn paper.
Susan Edmonson's colorful"quilted art projects" are displayed on one of the tables at the retreat.
Ille Waters displayed her brightly colored quilted nesting box from last years retreat and look at the photos of our "remote shop".

Spritzing in Saluda

Every time I do a mini class on Friday I see more and more great work coming from the participants & this past week so no exception.
I took "some" previous instruction from

Fred Mullett along with his awesome rubber stamp images to teach the spritzing technique last week. Always popular, always fun and easy to work with. Fred has a way with the natural flow of the stamps that he creates, using nature itself as his inspiration. Marvy Brush Markers in all their glorious colors add magic to his images and produces all these mini "works of art".
Moving on to the bottom of this page is a
card that Susan Edwards from
Wilmington created over the counter on Saturday.
.She hadn't been here in 3 years so I encouraged her
to go for it by showing her the new color blocks stamp pads. ( She has been out of loop taking care of an aging mother) We swirled it over the glossy paper, overtstamped with black ink add some wholey paper,some scrap ribbon, cut a tag out of black scraps,and presto magico, she created piece of art. Hurrah for us.

Foxy encounters

Twice last week at totally different times
of the day and night I came across a red fox
scurrying across the road in Saluda. Although
I was driving slow when I saw this creature, I
wasn't able to take a picture but I found this
one from a National Geographic website.
This is the first time I had ever seen a fox of
any kind in the wild(if you call Saluda "wild").
It was daylight,around 6pm when the first one
startled me as I was driving down Ozone Dr.
on my way home from work. Then again around
10 pm a few days later in the same general area,
there it was again. I got a little curious
after that second siting decided to do a little
research. Here is some of what I found -
Overwhelmingly, cultural consensus on fox animal symbolism deals with
strategy, quick thinking, adaptability, cleverness, wisdom and cunning.
Visit this web site for more information on the red fox.

It keeps coming in!

Other than our new
t shirts that arrived last week,
the bird punch came in a close
second on our "must have" list
here at the store. If I could just
play with this for hours on end
I could probably come up with
tons more ideas and samples.
Imagine the possibilities. . .
Isn't it awesome?
The punch is quite detailed with
little leaves and the tiniest little
bird legs that you can imagine.

Long awaited Random Arts T Shirt

Just what you have been waiting for. . . the Random Arts T-Shirt is here! After much thought and design assistance, actually more than assistance, we are unveiling our "work of art".
Annie Christ from Asheville worked out the whole design for us using some of our ideas, thoughts & shapes as she went from a blank canvas to the finished product. We included a vintage bird wisping away with a silk ribbon in it's little beak, delicate branches with falling leaves and a distressed back ground of antique book pages worn with time. Saluda, NC is inscribed onto the ribbon and Random Arts sits proudly on a trapezoid shape in rustic earth tones of sepia, olive, and natural. Can you tell how happy we with the design? Get yours now before they're gone! Oh yes... "assorted goods for creative mindfulness" adds a finishing touch. Everyone will want to wear one!

Local Artist shows books

Be sure to check out Lea Nickless' work at her current showing in Coral Gables, FL. Lea is a part time resident of Saluda and has invited us to her opening reception. Unfortunately, I am not able to be there however I invited her to show her books sometime here at our shop. We are hoping to add a larger space in the near future which will include gallery space. Keep your fingers crossed and your positive energy coming our way so we can get our space sooooooon.

Organic glass? You bet

While in Bozeman, Montana this past week, I visited the Emerson Center again, which happened to be right across the street from my daughter's apartment. The Emerson Center is an arts and cultural center which provides space for area artists to display their work, educate area residents and promote interest in the arts. In the Jessie Wilber Gallery were 2 artists showing their works, Barry Hood, glass artist and Dana Boussard.
Barry Hood is a glass artist who appreciates and works with nature in his glass pieces. Each piece is unique, organic and mystifying. I had to look close, beyond the expected to see how each carved line was created and only at the end of the exhibit did I see how it was really done.
Barry carves out the centers of a tree trunk to the size and shape that his project requires and pours hot liquid glass into it, charring the inside cavity and molding the glass to that form.
Even the mold becomes art. He adds copper wire to the glass, touches of copper and gold for luminescence and sculpted bronze as accents. Truly inspiring and I feel very fortunate to have been able to see his work in such an intimate setting. View his web site to see more photos of his work. You will love it! On the other hand, Dana Boussard combines fabric, felts and fibers to her paintings and drawing which upon a closer look reveals the intricacy of her piece. Her work is shown nationally and her web site reveals
much more than what was hung at the gallery.

Are you inspired yet?

Yellowstone in the summer ----
The following photos are actual photographs
and have NOT been altered
in any way, shape or form.



There have been numerous wildfires in the area this
past week resulting the closing of
the Cody, Wyoming entrance to Yellowstone.
Fortunately for us, we entered through the west
entrance via Eastern Idaho and Western Montana and experienced clear skys and no threats
to us.

They meet in Saluda. . . to visit us!

NO WAY!!!
Both girls, 2 separate basket of goodies, all different items, friends, family and both crazy about our shop and the same final total at the cash register? How did that happen? No mentioning of the totals here but just take a look at their packages! Their hands are full and that's after spending the "entire" day here on Saturday. "Why not", they say. Both girls meet in the middle (the mountains of North Carolina and spend time at Lake Lure at a time share and they have followed us ( or should we say we have
followed them) around the country. Christi from Jacksonville, FL
and Jean from Tennessee.
We have met up with them at Creative Palette in St. Marys, GA
and again at Art and Soul in Hampton, VA. Now here they are in
Saluda. After a couple of hours of shopping, I sent them off to get
some lunch ( because you can't shop on an empty stomach) right?
Back they came for the afternoon and while they were browsing
around I created 2 Artist Trading Cards and gave one to each of
them. Then I sent them to our classroom area to make one for
me. Happily they returned with a card for me to add to my
collection. If only I wasn't so busy, I would have loved to join
them in their creative mis-adventures. Duty calls as I happily
continue to serve customers in the store. boo hoo.
Everyone is happy as they head out the door at 5 o'clock.

Saluda to Raleigh

Go to Wimi's blog to see the "rest of the story".
In the August 7th blog in the
Raleigh News Observer, Marcy tells
the "world" about us... Random Arts.
Check it out and see what the
folks from the "Capitol City"
have to say...